Lavish April 8 `Titanic' event to support maritime museum in Warwick

OPULENCE: The Titanic, celebrated for its opulence, is the theme for the April 8 dinner at the Casino at Roger Williams Park.

FEATURED SPEAKER: Bill Miller will bring to life some of the great transatlantic liners that crossed the ocean like floating palaces during the event.

Posted
Thursday, March 16, 2017 1:37 pm

The Steamship Historical Society of America (SSHSA) is inviting the public to experience the elegance and luxury of a bygone era of travel and honor one of history’s most well-known ocean liners as we approach the anniversary of her sinking.

SSHSA, a Warwick nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving and sharing the history of powerful ships, will hold its second Ocean Liner Dinner on Saturday, April 8 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Casino at Roger Williams Park, located at 1000 Elmwood Ave. in Providence.

The theme of the evening is the Titanic, featuring a multi-course meal recreated from her fateful voyage 105 years ago. There will be an open bar, silent and live auctions and even some trivia about Titanic, her passengers and her crew. Tickets are $150 each or $250 per couple. To reserve a spot, call 401-463-3570 or email blucier@sshsa.org.

The keynote speaker for the evening will be renowned author “Mr. Ocean Liner ” Bill Miller, who will bring to life some of the great transatlantic liners that crossed the ocean like floating palaces. Whether it was the suites and salons, the race for speed, the lavish interiors or soldiers on board during wartime, there are thousands of stories that can be told about these mechanical marvels of their time.

Miller is an international authority on ocean liners and cruise ships, writing nearly 100 books on the subject from early steamers and immigrant ships to liners at war. He has written specific histories of such celebrated passenger ships as the United States, Queen Mary, Rotterdam, France and the Queen Elizabeth 2.

Proceeds from the event will support SSHSA as it continues to expand its offerings at the Ship History Center in Warwick. The group’s impressive archive – which comprises hundreds of thousands of images, artifacts, periodicals, artwork, official records and memorabilia that help tell an extensive history of engine-powered vessels, their passengers and their crews – is available for research by appointment.

The event will also help SSHSA broaden its role as an educator and steward of maritime resources, supporting the organization’s “Steaming into the Future ” educational program. Funds will be used in conjunction with a $50,000 federal grant awarded last

year through the National Parks Service and the National Maritime Heritage Grant Program to build an online interactive experience aimed at educating students worldwide.

The Steamship Historical Society of America was founded in 1935 by seven amateur steamship historians. Eighty years later, it has grown to become the world’s leading organization on the history of engine-powered vessels, with close to 2,500 domestic and international members in more than a dozen countries.